Inspiration Monday

There is something about the water and the sun sinking into it that always makes me want to create something!

I took this pic at Newport Beach, Ca on our last trip out there

We took a perfect evening stroll, watched a dog run from the water, and saw a kid buried in the sand...

It was a super relaxing afternoon, and it was capped off with this amazing sunset!

God knew exactly what I needed that day, (and every other day for that matter.)

I hope this little snippet inspires you on your "Manic Monday"

How often do you stop to watch the sun rise or set?  Take the time this week to just enjoy it!

A Summer Bookmark

I Love Bingo!!!

Hubby thinks I should actually be about 65 years old....

But I Love Bingo!!!!

So when I saw the Bingo 2 Week challenge over at shoppingourstash I KNEW I was going to participate!

Of course I also love saturated canary's challenge, so for my first combo challenge, I did this little beauty

For SC the challenge this week is bookmark, 

it's perfect for that summer book I'll be picking up soon!

For the Bingo challenge I had to incorporate glitter, pearls, distressing, blue, and flower...

I love the glitter in her hair... feels like she got some sand stuck in her locks

I also got a chance to use my new denami stamps that you may remember I won in a blog hop last weekend.. That's the little butterfly, embossed and painted with pearl watercolors!
I also incorporated some of the twine I got in that same win from the twinery to the ribbon's at the top of the bookmark..

The pearls and flower I tied together in my handmade flower which is also blue

There is some distressing on the edges of the bookmark, and I also used ranger distress inks and a little punchinella on the side of the bookmark. 

I hope you love my summer bookmark!  

What is your favorite book??  How would you make a bookmark for it? 

Altered Composition Book

This week I have been hard at work altering a composition book 

for a swap with the sensational scrappers of the west valley.  If you're in the Phoenix area look us up!!

It's a great bunch of crafters!

If you remember I had questioned what vintage was here.  Well, this is my answer.

So on to the eye candy...

Altered Composition book

The directions said to add at least 3 things to the cover... I think I did that and more just on the "vintage" section....

Scrabble letter embellishments

Love the twine!!  Can't wait for my box of goodies coming soon.. filled with twine for sure from the twinery.

Handmade "burn" flower

This beauty I made all from hand... Hopefully a tutorial will be coming soon! 

A super easy project you can do while watching tv even!

Handmade Envelope

The inside cover had a handmade "pocket" 

The directions also said that inside at least 25 pages should have some kind of "embellishment"

This sweet page has a simple sentiment.

I hope you love this book!  Feel free to email me if you have any questions about how I did any of the work...

What would you do

Saturday finds

About two months ago I stopped working the graveyard shift, and now have to be up at 4:30

in the morning 3 -4 days a week.  

However I'm off on Saturdays! 

So at 6 am I get up, make a cup of coffee, and head out to see what I can find to use in my art!

Today I ventured up to a 55+ community and ran into a couple of estate sales.

Sometimes they creep me out.. but I'm in search of maps, and vintage metal findings,

books, ect...

Today was a bit of a treasure trove!

Maps, pictures, a copy of "Little Women" with a signature and date of 1949. 

The pictures are all old black and whites, 

 

 

 

and there are actually about 5x's the amount of 

postage stamps as you see...

The maps are from Germany, and most dated in the 80's

There was also this little hand held scorecard for Bridge

All are enough to get the creative juices flowing...

The bonus is that the stamps I found have some value... I paid 50 cents for them, and I found one worth 15.00!  I'd say that's an investment... If I could find anyone to buy it of course!!!

What do you look for at yard/estate sales??  How do you plan to use them in your future projects?  

Please feel free to post your pictures, or link up to the treasures you have found!  T

Thanks for looking, and come back soon!

Another Birthday Card

As promised I have some eye candy for today!!! 

This little beauty was a little bit of some left overs that I found in my studio.

The picture is from saturated canary's talented artist Krista Smith.  I colored it with copic and prismacolor markers.

The card I got on clearance in Hobby lobby, and the papers I've had for literally years!!!  

The little 3 and 5 are stamped with embossing ink, and then clear embossed, and then I distressed the paper with Ranger inks. and attached a brad.

It was a pretty quick card since I had already colored the digi stamp! 

I made this pretty little girl for my sister Tanya... so if your reading, sorry to spoil your card... but it's obviously MUCH better in person!!!  Enjoy!!

What is your favorite card making technique??  Are you like me, helter skelter??  Or do you plan everything out to the last detail??

Please feel free to follow my blog, I can't wait to meet all of you out there in blogland!! 

Happy Wednesday!

Self portrait

I love to follow the challenges on http://artjournaling.ning.com 

While I haven't had a chance to do any of their challenges up until now, I love the 

inspiration that they throw my way!

This week the challenge is to do a self portrait.....

While looking in the mirror, and without really lifting the pen from the paper! 

Oy I said...

I can't draw....

Then I realized that was the whole point right??  

Just do it!!!  

Try something new!

Sooooo......

this is mine.....

No, I don't have pink hair!  or green eyes for that matter....

Part of the challenge was to use your favorite color...

So I colored my face yellow! 

Then I looked over at my doggin Sierra, and figured why not... so I drew her too!  Isn't she cute??

Check out the challenges...

And enjoy the journey.... after all isn't your art journal a place for discovery and trying new things???

What is vintage??

Do a google search for Vintage and you will come up with about 100 different styles of what is vintage. 

The last few days I have been working on an altered composition book. 

The only parameters I was given is "Vintage please."

I was floundering... I had even turned to hubby for some help! 

Then as I was leaving Hobby Lobby tonight I saw this....

and I knew I would be doing something using this as my inspiration....

As much as I hate to leave you all in blog world waiting, I haven't even yet begun the altered composition book... so there will be no pictures of that listed here...

Just a little more eye candy from this beauty...

Which were all shot from my ipad in the parking lot of Hobby Lobby, and were slightly altered using instagram!  Enjoy

She's a beauty, and what inspiration for vintage...

What do you think is vintage??  If you had to alter a composition book what would you do??  No really, any ideas are welcome!